Lucky Star
by Nightlingbolt
Summary: When a recently released Jellal learns that Natsu and Erza are dating, an unexpected hand grabs him and forms a friendship. But will it form into more? LucyxJellal. Booted to T for language. Not timeskip compliant.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome to what is possibly the first LucyxJellal story on this site, if not in existence, "Lucky Star!"**

**Now I'm aware not many people ship these two. I'm also aware that not many people ship Natsu and Erza either, so I guess it all evens out for me, huh?**

**Either way, the idea for this pairing came to me... *checks profile*around the end of August. I would've incorporated it into "ABCs," but I felt like I had already invested too much into the LucyxCana pairing (which I still support! Don't even worry about that!) to change it now, not to mention how the Cheat Trilogy would be affected by it (I'd have to add Lucy's reactions to it, which can and will get VERY messy), so that would not happen. Not to mention there's still Sortea from Canis Majoris I'd have to explain away, so... yeah, I kind of dug a hole for myself here. Long story short, this takes place in its own canon, but any ideas on how to incorporate the pairing itself into "ABCs" would be very much appreciated. That being the case, enjoy!**

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>Freedom felt, to say the least, weird.<p>

Of course, Jellal Fernades wasn't totally free yet. He still had to go through a probationary period mandated by the Magic Council. Basically his magic was bound to Lahar of the Rune Knights until the Council decided he could be trusted within society. What this meant was that he couldn't leave the town where his guild was located without Lahar, and he had to be a certain distance away from him at all times outside of town.

And where was this town he would be calling home from now on? Why, none other than Magnolia, home to the infamous Fairy Tail Guild, of course! A guild known for destruction, idiocy, and its S-Class mages, one of whom Jellal was eager to meet.

"Jellal?" asked a voice calling his name. Jellal was shaken out of his thoughts by his jailer.

"Huh? What?"

Doranbolt (or as the guild called him, Mest) sighed. Ever since he and Jellal joined the guild the former Wizard Saint would space out constantly. He was probably waiting for Erza Scarlet to return with her team.

"I spaced out again, didn't I?" asked Jellal.

"Yeah," replied Doranbolt. "Why don't we go take a job?" Jellal got up, hesitated, and then sat back down, causing to sigh again.

"I know you want to wait to see her, but the Council's not covering meals and utilities, and we have to eat," said the Council mage. "Besides, she'll probably be here when we get back."

"Probably?" repeated Jellal in annoyance.

"Well, she could be tired, she may want to take a nap..." said Doranbolt. Jellal gave him a look.

"I'll go find us a job," said Doranbolt. "It'll do you some good to get out of the guild." He then walked off to the job board.

Jellal got up and stretched, amazed at how lethargic he'd become due to either prison or his general lack of activity when he first arrived. His pondering was interrupted by a black-haired boy slamming into his back.

"NATSUUUUUU!" the boy screamed as he charged the pink-haired object of his fury.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Natsu screamed back, ready to give the same to his rival. Suddenly, they both stopped.

"Hey, isn't this usually where Erza punches us and yells at us to stop fighting?" asked Gray.

"Yeah, you're right," said Natsu. He turned to a red-haired young woman and said, "Hey, Erza, you're slacking on the job!" in a teasing manner.

"Don't make things worse for us, idiot!" Gray hissed. What he didn't know was that Erza had stilled herself in shock at the familiar sight of blue hair and a facial tattoo.

This was just about the action that Jellal had expected Erza to take. She still feared him, and he couldn't blame her for it. He expected Erza's survival instinct to kick in and make her shy away from him.

"Jellal!" Erza happily exclaimed. She hugged him and said, "It's so good to see you again!"

Or she could give him a bone-crushing hug. Yeah, that worked too. "You… too… Erza…!"

"Erza, stop it! You're suffocating him!" yelled a panicking blonde. Lucy, if Jellal remembered correctly. Erza took her words to heart and released him.

"I can't believe the Council saw fit to release you!" said Erza in, well, disbelief.

"Well, do you remember Doranbolt?" asked Jellal.

"Who?" asked Natsu, slightly confused.

"Mest? He infiltrated the guild to find an excuse to disband it?" said Jellal.

"Oh yeah, that jerk!" said Natsu.

"Never liked him," said Gray.

"Yeah, well I never liked you either, Gray," replied Doranbolt, who had appeared behind Gray. The exhibitionist simply flipped him off.

"Ah, perfect timing!" said Jellal. "I'd like to introduce you all to my jailer, Doranbolt." The Fairy Tail mages simply glared at him. After his attempted sabotage of their guild, they didn't particularly trust him.

"After Jellal's arrest, Lahar of the Fourth Custody Division had reported your claims of his amnesia to Guran Doma," said Doranbolt, essentially taking over Jellal's explanation. "Erring on the side of caution, I was ordered to scan his memories and found a gap of eight years, which led us to believe that he was brainwashed, and therefore not responsible for his crimes.

"The original plan was to keep Jellal locked up until we had recovered those eight years, which we could potentially use to gather information on the dark guilds, most notably Tartaros and what remains of Grimoire Heart. However, reports of prisoner abuse had reached the Council's ears, at which point it was decided that if Jellal was to trust us enough to help him restore his memories, a prison cell wasn't the best place to do it. So now," he put an arm around Jellal. "This bastard's here under my protection!" he said with a grin.

Fairy Tail's strongest team gave him deadpan looks. Apparently, they didn't really care for his attempt to relate to them.

"However," Jellal continued. "I was once one of the Ten Wizard Saints, so they didn't exactly want me running around unchecked, just in case I'm repressing my memories in an elaborate plot to continue my evil work-"

"Are you?" asked Natsu dangerously, cracking his knuckles as he spoke.

"NO!" bellowed Jellal.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, learn to take a damn joke!" Natsu complained.

"How is that a joke?" Erza growled.

"…You're right, it wasn't that funny…" said Natsu meekly.

"-SO!" Jellal exclaimed, and Team Natsu refocused their attention on him at once. Satisfied, Jellal continued with his explanation. "My magic is bound to a high-ranking officer of the Magic Council until such a time when I'm deemed no longer a

"And so enters Mest, right?" asked Natsu.

"Right," said Mest. "And it's Doranbolt, actually."

"One syllable versus three. Which is easier to remember?" asked Natsu.

"...Well, I guess that's how I was introduced to the guild..." mumbled Doranbolt.

"At least, being Jellal's probation officer is the official reason I'm here. As I said, I'm working with Jellal to recover his memories."

"Really," said Erza. "How's that going?"

"Not well, Erza," said Doranbolt. "Not well." Erza looked disappointed, but no one said anything about it.

Changing the subject, Doranbolt said, "Anyway, I found us a job, Jellal. We'll leave whenever you're ready."

"Actually, can you take this one yourself? I want to spend some time with Erza and her friends," said Jellal.

"Well, we could always come with you," said Erza brightly.

"Erza! We just got back from a really tough mission! I'm exhausted!" Lucy complained.

"There is _no way_ I'm getting on another vehicle today!" said Natsu resolutely.

"I agree with Lucy. I'm beat," said Gray.

"Well, if you're absolutely sure," said Lahar. "The job's not urgent, so I'll have Mirajane hold onto it, and we can go tomorrow if you're ready."

Jellal and the members of Team Natsu watched Doranbolt leave. "He seems nice enough," said Erza.

"What a tool," said Gray.

"Hey, I just had a thought," said Lucy. "Why don't we do something nice for Jellal to welcome him to the guild? Maybe take him out to eat or something?"

Erza smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, Lucy! We'll all meet up at that new restaurant on the corner at eight!"

"Aye!" the group exclaimed, except for Jellal, who couldn't help but notice a member of their group was missing.

"Didn't you guys have a cat as part of your team?" he asked. "Happy, was it?"

Natsu's only reply was to jerk his thumb in the direction of said cat, offering a fish to a white cat similar to himself.

Satisfied, Jellal took Erza's hand in his own. "Until then," he said simply.

As the group went their separate ways, Jellal thought he heard Natsu growl into Erza's ear, "You have to tell him. Tonight!"

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><p>Lucy washed her hands in the restroom sink at the steakhouse they had taken Jellal to celebrate his release. The former Wizard Saint had been on her mind ever since she and her team had gotten back from their latest mission.<p>

She was one of the only people who knew that Natsu and Erza were dating. Truth be told, it still felt weird to think of them as a couple, no matter how far away she saw it coming. In all the time Lucy had known Natsu, he had never shown any signs of hatred towards anyone. Not Gajeel who had crucified three of their guildmates, not her father who had set into motion events that conspired to separate her from Fairy Tail… hell, not even Gray after he held his heirloom scarf for ransom in exchange for an admission that he was better than the Salamander in every possible way except for sucking. And even then, he just forgave, forgot, and kicked the ice mage in the groin as hard as he could. That memory still made Lucy giggle.

But when Erza mentioned Jellal's name during the Oracion Seis battle, Natsu seemed to be overtaken with anger. It was clear that he could not forgive what the blue-haired man had done to Erza at the Tower of Heaven. Thinking of that incident made Lucy think of the looks of longing the Titania had given the pink-haired man in the days that followed. Lucy didn't know much about love, but if those two elements were any indication, the two of them were head-over-heels in love.

But from what she knew about Jellal, Erza was literally his everything. And Lucy was not stupid – naïve, maybe, but by no means stupid. The same could be said about Natsu, and from the tone of his voice, she knew exactly what Natsu meant by "Tell him tonight."

Her hands clean and dry, Lucy left the bathroom to head back to the table, when she spotted flashes of blue and scarlet hair. Against her will, her legs stopped moving, rooting her to the spot and forcing her to listen. Both parties tried to speak, but Erza relented to Jellal.

"Erza," he began. "You've been at the forefront of my mind or as long as I can remember. Your scarlet hair gives me hope for the future. It is a future that I hope to share with you, now and forever. Erza…"

"Don't say it, Jellal!" Erza snapped, but the blue-haired man just ignored her.

"…I think I'm in love with you."

Erza stood stock still, not daring to breathe. Lucy could hardly blame her. The blonde wanted to just duck back into the restroom and let all of this blow over, but apparently, her body wouldn't let her leave the scene until she saw how Erza handled the confession of love from her childhood friend.

Finally, Erza spoke. "Jellal… I was going to tell you first, but… Natsu and I are… together."

And there it was. The bomb was dropped. Jellal flinched, the words like a blade, and tears threatened to spill out from those magnificent emerald eyes.

"Damn it, Jellal, don't do this to me!" Erza yelled, causing blonde and blue to jump in surprise. "Do you think I'm doing this to hurt you? That this is all some elaborate ploy to break your spirit? How dare you think so little of Natsu, and more importantly, me!

"It's obvious to me that you're not the same never-say-die Jellal I remember from our days of slavery," Erza spat. "The Jellal Fernandes I remember wouldn't start to cry if something didn't go the way he expected it to! No, he would grin, bear it, and soldier on! In my heart, that's who Jellal Fernandes is!"

When Jellal didn't reply right away, Erza spoke up again in a much kinder tone. "I'm not telling you to cast me out of your life, nor would I ever cast you out of mine. And as much as I dreamt that someday the two of us would find happiness together, that day can never come for… obvious reasons…"

Lucy had some idea of those "obvious reasons." Hell, if her childhood crush had become a psychotic slavemaster bent on reviving a powerful dark mage, she would've thrown any possible romance out the window long ago.

"I understand," said Jellal. "Natsu is lucky to have you. Or are you lucky to have him?"

Erza laughed. "That's an eternal question worthy of our guild," she said. Jellal replied with a hesitant laugh of his own.

"Sometimes, I lie awake at night, thinking what it would be like if our roles were reversed, and you had become the villain that sought to revive Zeref. Would I have had the power to stop you? Would I have even had the courage?" Erza looked at Jellal worriedly.

"Just kidding," he said with a smile. The two embraced for a moment, and Erza went back to the table.

Lucy smiled. Though the situation seemed to be resolved, there was something about Jellal that drew her to him. Was it his loneliness? After all, she was just as lonely as she imagined Jellal to be in his prison cell once upon a time, before she ran away and came to Fairy Tail. Erza, Natsu, and everyone else had made it clear that she was a member of their family, and they went out of their way to treat her as such.

Was it his sadness? That made sense, since Lucy hated to see her friends cry. But did she consider Jellal a friend? Well, they had a mutual friendship with Erza, so she supposed that was something she could work with. Maybe she could take him out on some sort of friendly date, just to cheer him up. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Her mind made up, she appeared from behind the divider.

"Lucy?" said Jellal, a little surprised. He had sensed a magical presence, but he didn't know Lucy well enough to realize it was hers.

"Hey, Jellal," Lucy greeted him nervously.

"So I guess you heard all that, huh?" asked Jellal, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for you tonight, but-"

"Actually, I'm perfectly satisfied with how things turned out," said Jellal. "It's not the happy ending I was looking for, but it's a happy ending for Erza, and that's enough for me. Besides… I have every confidence that Natsu will be able to take care of Erza in a way I can't."

"Well, maybe when Natsu starts treating her like his girlfriend and not the spawn of Satan…" said Lucy.

"Actually, all guys treat their girlfriends like that. But you didn't hear it from me," said Jellal. Both mages burst into fits of laughter.

Being the first to calm down, Lucy said, "If you wanted to go out for drinks or something tomorrow, or the day after, or whenever you have time…"

"I'm free on Wednesday," said Jellal. "We can do something then."

"All right, Wednesday it is," said Lucy. "See you then." She left to rejoin the team.

Jellal couldn't believe it. He had a date. Not even 24 hours after Erza shot him down he had agreed to a date with her teammate. Maybe his luck was starting to turn around. Then again, he could lose it all in one fell swoop.

He'd just have to wait until Wednesday.

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><p><strong>And thus have I committed Fairy Tail shipping blasphemy. I await the flames of hell from you, the readers, though I shall always welcome positive feedback. I do plan on continuing this, though I would like at least five reviews before I post the next chapter. I don't plan on making a habit of setting a review quota, but I want to know that there are people who are willing to give this pairing a chance.<strong>

**Just as a heads-up, I will have to replace my laptop battery in the near future, which may or may not affect my writing. As soon as everything's all set, I'll let you know what the situation is.**

**Anyway, that's about it, so until next time (whether it's this, another project, or even all the way in November after the "ABCs" hiatus is up), peace and love from Nightlingbolt. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! I'm back with a brand new chapter of "Lucky Star!" Yes, my computer has a new keyboard, and I now have full access to all my documents!**

**This may not be the most exciting thing you've ever read, but it leaks Lucy's involvement with Jellal a bit more. Frickin' nosy bookworm has to go ahead and muck everything up for our little Celestial mage... *grumble grumble***

**Well, everything I had to say about this chapter up and left with my old keyboard, so I'mma just shut up and let you all enjoy the story.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>Lucy hadn't seen much of Jellal in the days leading up to their date. She was hardly surprised by this fact, since Natsu had dragged the team on an S-Class job (with Erza's approval, of course). They left on Saturday, and the date with Jellal was on a Wednesday, so she posed a challenge to Natsu, Gray, and Erza that if they were back by then, she would let them read the first chapter of a new book she was working on. Of course, they ate it up, and they were back by Wednesday morning.<p>

The town the job took place in was a good ways away from Magnolia, and they had taken a late train, so by the hertime they reached the station, it was already lunchtime and Lucy was, in a word, starving! She and Gray decided to eat at the guild, while Natsu and Erza went off to do a little training.

Honestly, Lucy doubted whether those two were even human sometimes.

The ice and celestial mages were greeted by Mira making a sly remark about them coming to the guild alone together, which in turn provoked the wrath of a certain water mage that shall remain nameless. Then Cana had invited Gray to have a drink with her, which only served to make said water mage even angrier at his "loose, hedonistic ways." Eventually, Gray gave in and planted a soft kiss on Juvia's cheek (and damn it, I named the water mage). She left them alone after that, but gave Lucy an evil look before sitting down next to Lisanna.

"So," said Gray. "When do we get to read your new novel?"

Lucy bit her lip. Whenever she had had free time during the job, she had been brainstorming ideas for a first chapter that would satisfy her friends, but so far she had come up with three pages of utter tripe! "Well, uh… see, Gray…" she stammered.

"Lu-chan!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice. "You didn't tell me you were working on a new story!"

Lucy groaned. Only one person ever called her that. She would blow everything for her!

"Levy, shut up!" hissed the blonde.

Gray frowned at Lucy's reaction to the short blunette. "So you're not really writing a new novel," he said.

"No," replied Lucy meekly.

"So you're keeping something from us."

"No."

"No?"

"Not you and Natsu so much as Erza."

Lucy was trying to keep a secret from Erza? Now Gray was interested. He was about to inquire further when a second mass of blue hair came along.

"Hi, Lucy," said Jellal.

"Hey, Jellal," replied Lucy with a hint of annoyance. Was the universe conspiring against her today? If not, it may as well be!

"I heard you guys just got back," said Jellal. "So how was the mission?"

"Good," said Gray before Lucy could answer. "Easy as hell for an S-Class job, but still good."

"Whoever said Hell was easy?" said Jellal. The girls laughed a little at this.

"It's a figure of speech, Jellal," said an annoyed Gray.

"Thank you, Gray, that was the joke," said Lucy, still annoyed that Jellal was here. "So are you looking for Erza?" she asked him, thinking that would be a viable excuse for Jellal to talk to her.

"Actually, I wanted to make sure you weren't too tired for tonight," said Jellal, much to the interest of Gray and Levy, not to mention the delight of Lucy's palm as it met her forehead.

"No, I can still make it," said Lucy, desperately trying to pretend Gray wasn't hearing this. Levy could keep a secret, but if Gray thought Erza thought he knew something she didn't, he'd crack like an egg.

"Great!" said Jellal. "So I'll pick you up at your apartment around five?"

"Sounds great. See you then," said Lucy. Satisfied, Jellal walked off, presumably to look for Erza like Lucy suggested.

Gray took the situation in stride. "Huh. Who would've guessed?" he said with a smirk.

"Wait a minute," said Levy. "You and Jellal are…?"

"Levy!" hissed Lucy. "The walls have ears!"

"You and Jellal are dating!" Mira exclaimed as she came out of nowhere, having wanted to see what was causing Lucy to be so high-strung.

Said celestial mage groaned for the umpteenth time. "And they heard damn near everything," she muttered. Turning to face the Take Over mage, she said, "Fine! I'm going on a date with Jellal tonight! That's why I wanted to be back quickly! Happy?"

"Am I happy? No. Am I satisfied? Yeah, somewhat," said Gray.

"But wait, I'm confused," said Mira. "I thought it was Erza that Jellal liked. In fact, the first thing Jellal did coming to the guild while Erza was away was ask for her. He did it every day until last week."

"Well… Erza shot him down, so I decided to take him out to cheer him up," explained Lucy, careful not to divulge any details about the redhead's relationship with Natsu.

"Well, I won't say I understand, because I don't know the exact nature of their relationship," said Mira. "But what I do understand is that not every story is lucky enough to have a happy ending, and that breaks my heart a little."

"Yeah, but on the bright side, Jellal gets to start anew with Lucy at his side!" said Levy. "A clean slate, a blank page, unlimited possibilities! How romantic!"

"Eh?" gasped Lucy. "This is just a friendly date! Don't be ridiculous, Levy!" She took a minute to compose herself.

"Just please, whatever you guys do, _don't_ tell Erza about this!"

"Eh? Why not, Lucy?" asked Mira.

"I don't want her thinking I'm just trying to get Jellal on the rebound," said Lucy.

Mira laughed. "That's a silly reason, Lucy! Erza won't care just as long as you both are happy," she said. "That's just the kind of person she is."

"She's right, Lucy," said Gray. "And besides, how can there be a rebound if they were never together?"

"I would think that as long as he had feelings for her…" replied Levy.

"I don't care!" exclaimed Lucy. "Just don't tell her!"

"Fine, fine," muttered Gray as the girls promised their silence.

"You said the date was at five, right?" said Mira. "You have less than five hours until then. What are you going to do until then?"

"Probably just hang out here for a while, then head home and take a quick nap," replied Lucy. "Hey, where's Gajeel? I want to get some ideas for my novel." Mira pointed her to the end of the bar where the Iron Dragon Slayer was eating some screws.

As Lucy ran off, Gray asked, "How would Metal Head be any help?"

"He's a songwriter! He has ideas!" said Levy a little too defensively. This only caused Mira to smirk evilly, though the Solid Script mage remained oblivious.

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><p>Jellal was not in the mood for this.<p>

By "this," he meant another session with Doranbolt to attempt to retrieve his missing memories.

It was the same as the last time: Doranbolt connected himself to Jellal with his memory magic, Jellal was reliving the day he first turned evil, and he was screaming from the painful memory of receiving "Zeref's ghost."

Doranbolt knew it was dangerous for him to maintain the psychic connection, and so he severed it just before Jellal collapsed from exhaustion. The Council mage helped Jellal to stand, just barely hiding his own fatigue.

"Are you all right?" Doranbolt asked out of concern for his charge's well-being.

"Yeah," said Jellal, massaging his temples.

The fact of the matter was, Jellal's mind was strong. Much stronger than he would expect an eight-year brainwashing victim to be. In other words, it wasn't that Jellal had forgotten the last eight years of his life like he told Guran Doma. Rather, it was that his psyche was repressing them entirely.

"You know we don't have to do things this way," said Doranbolt.

"I'm fine!" Jellal shot back. "I just need to get past the initial brainwashing."

Doranbolt sighed. "If you say so," he said. "But I just feel like you're taking this with the wrong grain of salt, so to speak."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"A person's memory, in terms of magic, is linked to three things: his body, his mind, and his spirit," explained Doranbolt. "Your body is strong, your mind is willing, but your spirit is what's throwing everything out of balance. Only when all three are in sound harmony will we make any progress."

Jellal was dumbfounded. "I'm giving everything I have into these sessions!" he yelled.

"And why do you feel that way?" asked Doranbolt.

"I've told you before! I want to atone for my crimes against not only the magical community, but the people I love as well!" said Jellal with conviction.

Doranbolt sighed. What Jellal failed to understand was that, subconsciously, he still lived in fear of whatever crimes he may have committed, and he had yet to truly make peace with that aspect of himself. "Whatever. You've got a date tonight, and I'll bet this is the last thing you want to be thinking about, so we'll call this an early day."

Jellal gave a noncommittal grunt. He was all to eager to think about anything else except what he felt Doranbolt was implying.

"Don't forget we're leaving on that job I picked out at nine, so be home early." Doranbolt ordered. He stretched his arms out and yawned. "Well, I'd say I earned myself a nap." He stalked off towards his bedroom.

"Doranbolt!" Jellal called. The Rune Knight stopped in his tracks.

"What's up?" asked Doranbolt.

"Do you, er... have any tips?" asked Jellal. "For tonight, I mean."

Doranbolt raised an eyebrow. "You're not expecting Lucy to put out on the first date, are you?" he said.

The look on the ex-Wizard Saint's face was priceless.

"I'm kidding!" laughed Doranbolt. "I know you're not that kind of person!" The glare Jellal gave him sobered him up almost immediately.

"Seriously, though," said Doranbolt. "Every time I've made it with a woman, I was just being myself. There are several things women want in a partner. You might not fit every woman's description of the ideal man, but chances are, she can sense when a man is trying to impress her, and that will only drive them away nine times out of ten." He sighed again. "I'm sorry I can't be more helpful than this."

"Actually, that's just what I needed to hear," said Jellal with a smile, which Lahar reluctantly returned.

"I hope tonight works out for you," he said. As he started to walk away, he said, "Oh, and check your closet. There's a new suit you can wear tonight. You'll know it when you see it. Good luck!" With that, Doranbolt retired to his bedroom for that aforementioned nap.

Jellal decided to heed Doranbolt's words and check out the suit his jailer/roommate was talking about. And when he saw it, he did indeed feel lucky.

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><p><strong>And there you go! If you haven't noticed by now, a recurring theme for this story is to make some sort of reference to luck at the end of each chapter.<strong>

**You know, I honestly wasn't expecting as many reviews as I got for Chapter One. I mean, higher profile authors are bound to get more for a first chapter, but I gotta say, I think nine is a personal best for me! Thank you all for your support, it inspires me to continue writing. Not that I wouldn't if I got no reviews whatsoever, but still, it helps to know at least someone likes what I write. I mean, half my work I end up hating about a week later!**

**But I'm not gonna go off on a tangent here. Not now that I'm back in action. If I'm reaching any Pokemon fans, expect a ShellPWNageShipping oneshot (Ash's Oshawott and Ash's Snivy) for Halloween. I dunno, I alluded to the pairing in a Comashipping oneshot you can find on Serebii Forums (yes, I'm unfortunately still Darth Osiris there because they don't allow name changes there for some reason, and if I make a new account with the name Nightlingbolt, both accounts will get banned.**

**What did I say about tangents? And did anyone ever figure out how to get around the question/exclamation marks not showing up next to each other? If you did, PM me letting me know.**

**I have Chapter Three typed up on my iPod, so I'd expect a Sunday release. Until then, I should get to work on N for ABCs, just so I can come back from my hiatus when I said I would. So, peace and love from Nightlingbolt! Be good, or at the very least, neutral.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! And it is time for the third chapter of "Lucky Star!****"**

**In this chapter, Lucy gets ready, Erza finds out, and stuff gets real. Fun fact about this chapter: it was written entirely on my iPod Touch, since I literally couldn't type it on my laptop thanks to my keyboard being broken.**

**I seem to have less to say with each document I post, so I'll just spare you the bull and give you the horns. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>It was a quarter to five. Jellal would arrive at Lucy's apartment to pick her up soon, and she was currently taking a hot shower in preparation for his arrival.<p>

Currently, Lucy was contemplating whether she should have gone to meet Jellal instead of the other way around. On the one hand, it was part of her upbringing to le the man make the first move. On the other hand, she worried about Jellal getting the wrong idea about their relationship. The more Lucy thought about it, the less either hand made sense.

First of all, she was paying for the whole night; the dinner, the play, and the drinks. She pretty much had to, as Jellal didn't have that much money except for what passed as enough to get him by. Second of all, the date was her idea, and she was determined to dictate how things between them went down.

She rinsed her hair, turned the water off, and dried herself, not bothering to wrap a towel around herself. Before Natsu and Erza got together, she wouldn't have dared walk naked in her own home. Now, she had every confidence that the Titania would curb the Salamander's intrusive ways.

Only to have that confidence shattered by the sight of short pink hair and long scarlet hair lying on her bed, Natsu without his vest or scarf, and Erza without her armor, holding each other close in their sleep.

Despite herself, Lucy smiled. She had always thought the Salamander was cute when he slept, but now that Erza was part of the scene, she somehow added to the effect.

She remembered once having a crush on Natsu, especially after he made a big show of saving her during the Phantom Lord war. At first, she thought of it as him claiming his woman, but these days, hindsight would rationalize him as trying to prove his power to the enemy. But either way, Natsu was just being Natsu.

But things happened, through no fault of his own, and she had decided that, if Natsu were to choose between spending his life with her or Erza, the Titania would have her beat five ways to Sunday. Still, Natsu had become her best friend, and she was largely happy with how things stood.

Suddenly, she sneezed, which woke up Erza. The next thing Lucy knew, the other girl had pinned her to the wall and held a sword to her throat. So Lucy did the only thing she could do in this situation.

She screamed.

Erza lowered her sword. "Oh, it's only you, Lucy," she said. "You really musn't watch others sleep."

"It's my house!" Lucy retorted. "If someone's sleeping on MY bed without my permission, I'll watch them all I want!"

"Wha? Lucy?" Natsu mumbled sleepily. "We thought you weren't home."

"Didn't you hear the shower run?" Unfortunately, Lucy's words fell on deaf ears as she witnessed Erza Requip into...

Nothing at all.

"KYAAAAH!" exclaimed Lucy. "Erza, what are you doing?"

"I know how self-conscious you are, so I decided I would share in your nudity," said Erza matter-of-factly.

Lucy looked down at herself and realized, much to her horror, that she was still naked. Well, so much for not wearing a towel.

"Close your eyes!" Lucy demanded, blushing furiously. "I have to change!"

"Lucy, we've already seen you. The damage is done," said Erza.

"JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND DON'T LOOK UNTIL I SAY SO!"

Minutes later, Lucy had changed into a strapless purple dress that reached the halfway point between her hip and her knee. She also wore a pair of dress shoes that was kind-of-fancy, kind-of-not. A pair of panyhose pulled the look together. She was determined to keep this a friendly date, but having said nothing about the dress code for the evening, she knew Jellal would dress to impress, and Lucy would not be undone. Hell, she would even go so far as to call it a friendly competition.

Natsu and Erza, now allowed to look, took in Lucy's outfit. "You look amazing, Lucy," said Erza in approval.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "It looks weird." Erza thumped him in the back of the head. "I mean, it's weird how great that looks on you!" he said nervously.

"Aww, thanks, you guys!" said a blushing Lucy.

"What are you all dressed up for anyway?" asked Natsu. "I mean, it's no one's birthday or anything."

"Well, if you must know, Natsu, I have a date tonight-" Lucy cut herself short, realizing the implications of Erza finding out. "And he's coming over any second now, so you guys have to go!" She grabbed Natsu and Erza by their collars, the former questioning why they had to leave and the latter looking like Lucy had commited a great offense by attempting to kick her out. Just as Lucy opened the front door to let her friends leave, she noticed a familiar facial tattoo observing the scene, wearing a green diamond-patterned suit, a plain dark blue tie, and a black dress shirt.

"Uhhhh... hey, Jellal! You're early!" said Lucy nervously.

"Actually, I'm a few minutes late," replied Jellal, looking at his watch.

Suddenly, Erza wrenched herself free from Lucy's grasp and gave the blonde a very harsh stare. If looks could kill, not even vapor would be left.

"Yeah, uhh.. Natsu and Erza came over for a bit," said Lucy to Jellal. "But they were just leaving, right?"

"Leave?" asked Erza. "I will do no such thing! Not until we have a little chat." She grabbed Lucy by the hair and led her out of the apartment.

Natsu looked at Jellal. "She's screwed," he said.

Lucy touched her hand to her hair. If it were anyone else, she would complain about how her hair was ruined. But this was Erza, and she was going on a date with Jellal.

Ever the one to be blunt, Erza spoke. "Lucy, I want you to know that, though I hold no romantic interest in Jellal, he is still a very dear friend of mine. Henceforth, if you do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to cause him any sort of pain, be it physical, mental, or emotional, I will take that pain and deliver it unto you tenfold!" Lucy nearly caved under Erza's stare.

That is, until Erza sighed.

"At least, that's what I want to say," she said. "But I can't help feeling like such words are wasted on you."

"Maybe," said Lucy. "But things like that, you just gotta say." Erza nodded in agreement.

"So... how did you and Jellal end up together, anyway?" asked the Titania. She was genuinely curious about the matter.

"Well... the thing is... it happened at the steakhouse," said Lucy nervously. "I... heard you guys talking."

Erza was surprised to learn this, but managed to hide it behind a stern frown. "Lucy, I thought you knew better than to eavesdrop on other people's conversations," she said.

"I know," replied Erza. "But... it was like watching a train wreck, because I knew how Jellal'd react to you shooting him down, and-" Erza held up a hand to stop the celestial mage.

"It's all right, Lucy," she said. "I think I get what you mean by 'train wreck.'"

"Well, that's good," said Lucy with a sigh of relief.

"Still, I don't like the idea that this is a pity date," said Erza with a hint of worry.

"It's not!" said Lucy defensively. "It's just a friendship date!"

"I fail to see the difference," said Erza flatly. "Either way, you should state your intentions to Jellal right away. But for what it's worth, I think you two complement each other perfectly." The scarlet-haired mage punctuated this statement with a smile.

Lucy returned her teammate's smile with her own. She was worried about Erza's support, but she seemed to have it, which made things seem a little easier.

"You shouldn't keep Jellal waiting much longer," said Erza. "I'll be expecting full details tomorrow." Lucy blushed, but heeded her friend's advice and met up with Jellal back at the apartment.

"So I guess this is it," the blue-haired young man said.

"Yeah," said Lucy.

"There comes a time in every man's life... when he's not sure if he's all out of bullets or if he's got one more shot in him," said Jellal. It's times like those... times like now... when I have to ask myself... do I feel lucky?"

"Well, do you?"

"Put simply, I like the gun I'm holding right now." Lucy blushed, realizing what Jellal meant by that statement. After unceremoniously kicking Natsu out, the unlikely couple set out to see what the night would bring.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I couldn't think of a half decent way to write Natsu out. Sue me.<strong>

**But yeah, the date is going down next chapter. Look forward to that.**

**Also, I know I said I'd put up a sign-up for that sequel I was planning, but again, it's in the planning stages, and if it doesn't happen, I don't want anyone to feel like their OCs are going to waste. I actually have a semi-complex storyline in mind for this, and I want everything to be perfect in terms of placement of events. So I'm just gonna flesh it out a bit more and we'll see where we are at the end of this.**

**So until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt, and may your left thumb not screw over your typing like mine does.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back for another chapter of "Lucky Star!"**

**So yeah, the date gets underway in this chapter! I thought it would progress more than it did, but I found a good place to stop, and I just rolled with it. I did have to rewrite this a little just so things would make a little more sense. Other than that, I think we're good. Le't's do it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters. If I did, everyone would have at least aged seven years in the Fairy Sphere.**

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><p>Lucy and Jellal had just left the apartment, both a little nervous about what the night would bring.<p>

She figured these feelings weren't totally unexpected. After all, it wasn't every day that Fairy Tail's sweet and innocent Celestial mage (bah, if the townspeople could only see the drafts of some of her more adult ideas) left her house arm in arm with what was once the greatest threat the Magic Council had ever seen. Fortunately for Jellal, it seemed to be enough that Makarov trusted him, and so people left the matter alone for the most part.

Suddenly, Lucy shivered. It was winter in Magnolia, and though it wasn't known for heavy snowfall, it being a coastal town meant that it could get pretty cold during that time.

"Are you all right?" Jellal asked in concern.

"Yeah," replied Lucy. "I'll be fine. I'm just a little cold."

"Why didn't you bring a coat?" Jellal wondered.

"I guess I didn't think of it because I was too busy trying to get rid of Natsu and Erza," said Lucy sheepishly. "No problem, I'll just ask Virgo to bring me one from the Celestial Spirit World." She lifted the key to summon The Maiden, but was caught off guard by Jellal offering her his own jacket.

"Jellal!" gasped Lucy. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Well, I don't know much about dating," said Jellal. "But I know the man has to take care of his lady."

"Who told you that?" asked Lucy.

"Elfman," said Jelall simply. Lucy sighed and put her palm to her forehead.

"Please tell me you're kidding," she said.

"Well, he didn't tell me so much as he bellowed it out for everyone to hear," said Jellal. "He seemed quite proud of himself when he said that."

"Thanks," said Lucy, taking the jacket and putting it on.

Suddenly, they heard a voice calling, "Evening, Lucy-chan!" Sure enough, the two gondoliers were rowing by. "Are you going out tonight?"

"I'm going on a date!" Lucy called back.

"You want to be careful around this guy, Lucy-chan!" the first gondolier called.

"Don't be an idiot!" said the other one. "Makarov knows what he's doing!"

"Thanks for your concern," said Lucy. "But I trust Jellal. And I have my Spirits, just in case!"

"Don't worry, Lucy-chan! We just want you to be safe!" said the first gondolier.

"Be good, you two!" said the second gondolier as they rowed away.

Lucy frowned. Those two meant well, of course, but they had inadvertantly awakened her to the stigma of Magnolia that Jellal must have felt. Each awkward stare or questioning glance could only serve to remind him of past misdeeds that he had long since forgotten. However, she was determined that tonight would not be a night to indulge in guilt of the past, but to revel in the simple pleasures of the present.

"Nice guys," said Jellal fondly of the gondoliers.

"Yeah," agreed Lucy. "They've been looking out for me ever since I moved in. In a way, they're almost like big brothers to me." Lucy would have said more on the subject, but the sight of a pale blue winter coat falling on the street demanded her attention – and not in a good way, judging by her shriek of terror.

"Hey, Lucy!" called Natsu from her window. "You forgot your coat!"

"So next time, bring it DOWN to me instead of tossing it from my WINDOW!" yelled Lucy. "And what are you still doing here? I thought I got rid of you guys!"

"I forgot my scarf!" replied the Dragon Slayer.

"Well, you have it now, so GET OUT!" Lucy made sure to say the command as loudly as possible.

"Aye, sir!" said Natsu. With a salute, he leapt out of Lucy's window, using his fire to propel himself just before he hit the ground, thereby ensuring a smooth landing. Erza followed close behind, descending gracefully in her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

"Please tell me you locked the door," Lucy groaned.

"Very well. We locked the door," said Erza.

"…Did you really, or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"

"…I'm just telling you what you want to hear."

"…Well, at least you're honest…"

"…Yes... I am…"

"SCRAM!" With that, Erza dragged her boyfriend away from the building, more for fear of his life than anything else.

"Excuse me, Jellal," the Celestial mage said as she stormed back up to her apartment to lock the door, coming down mumbling about "stupid Salamanders and no-help Titanias."

"So where are we eating?" asked Jellal.

"I thought we'd try that little seafood place downtown," said Lucy as she slipped on her coat. "It's close to the theater, so we can have a drink before going to the play."

"By 'little seafood place,' you don't mean 'The Portside,' right?" asked Jellal. "I heard that's expensive."

"You'd be surprised what I can afford when my teammates don't destroy everything in sight," said Lucy. She glanced at her watch and cursed. "The reservation is for 5:30, you came late, and of course, Natsu happened… plus it's a twenty minute walk from here… we'll never make it now!"

"Never say never, Lucy," said Jellal. "Just grab my hand." She did.

"Meteor," Jellal whispered. He and Lucy were suddenly covered in a faint golden glow. "Which way?" he asked.

"Left," said Lucy. With that, they flew off towards the restaurant.

* * *

><p>The trip to the restaurant was uneventful, to say the least. Jellal had commented that at full power, Meteor could take him as fast as its namesake, but Lucy just barely heard him, content to stay in the spell's glow with him all night.<p>

This came as a bit of a surprise to the Celestial Mage. After all, weren't they just going out as friends? Sure, she bought the dress she was wearing especially for tonight, and they were eating at a fancy seafood restaurant, but her reasoning was that Jellal would appreciate something other than prison food.

"_So why didn't you just go to a diner?"_ asked the voice in her head.

Well, the voice had her there.

"Welcome to The Portside. How many will be dining tonight?" asked the lavender-haired hostess.

"Two, please," replied Lucy, gesturing to Jellal. "We have a reservation under Lucy H."

The hostess's eyes narrowed at the former Wizard Saint, but neither guest noticed. "Your table will be ready in twenty minutes," she said briskly. "Feel free to order a drink at our bar until then."

"But we have a reservation-!"

"_Twenty. Minutes,"_ the hostess repeated, this time more harshly.

Lucy was fuming by this point, but Jellal put a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's only twenty minutes," he said gently. "We'll survive." He then made his way towards the bar, motioning for a reluctant Lucy to follow.

The bar area had an impressive view of downtown Magnolia and faced the canal. Lucy had planned to save her drink for her meal, so all she had at the moment was water. Meanwhile, Jellal's drink was served to him, and Lucy's brow quirked at his order.

"Pina Colada? Really?" she asked.

"What? I like that song," said Jellal nonchalantly. Lucy said nothing in reply, but merely glanced towards the front of the restaurant. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Not really," said Lucy. "I'm just a little miffed, that's all. I mean, I made that reservation… I mean, it was when we all went out together! That's how long ago I made it! And when you add the play tickets into it, I barely had enough left over from that mission we came back from to pay my rent!" She gave a heavy sigh. "Thank God Erza didn't mind me mooching for grocery money!"

Jellal gave a sad smile. "Erza's always been the type to help out a friend in need," he said wistfully, taking a gulp of his drink.

Lucy frowned. "Damn it, Jellal, we've been through this!" she said. "They're-"

"I know, I know!" said Jellal, holding his hands up. "They're not trying to hurt me!" He sighed, took another sip of his drink, and all was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Jellal seemed to find the right words.

"I once said that I believe in the man Erza believes in. I still stand by those words."

Lucy felt a swell of pride upon hearing those words. By reaffirming his faith in Natsu, Jellal seemed to be moving on with his life. It wasn't easy to let go of unrequited love, but it helped to know that things weren't awkward between you and the object of your affection.

Well, except for the occasional mission make-out session. Lucy made a mental note to hone her magic-sensing abilities so she didn't have to walk in on any more of those.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke burst next to her seat, and when it cleared, there sat her faithful Lion Spirit, Loke, more famously known as Leo. "Lucy! Glad I caught you!" he said.

Lucy groaned. "Damn it, Loke, I thought you said you wouldn't come out tonight!" she complained.

"I know, I know, but I just realized something!" said Loke. "Remember when you came to the guild and Master was yelling at us all?"

"Yeah. So?" asked Lucy.

"What did he yell at me for?"

"Seducing a Council member's granddaughter?" Lucy guessed. "I dunno! Just because it was the day that changed my life forever, am I supposed to remember all the little details?"

"That's her," said Loke.

"What's her?"

"Councilman Reiji's granddaughter."

"…So why are you telling me this?" Loke pointed to Jellal, and it suddenly dawned on Lucy. "Oh, crap!"

"Yeah," said Loke. "She was probably making you wait because you're here with Jellal."

Lucy got up and fished her wallet from her purse. "We're leaving, Jellal," she said.

"Lucy, I don't think that's necessary," Jellal argued, surprisingly calm.

"I'm not giving that bitch any satisfaction, Loke!" said Lucy angrily. "You don't deserve to be treated like crap because of something you couldn't control!"

"Lucy, we're already here, and we're about as close to the theater as we're going to get. There's no point in going to another restaurant and then walking all the way back here," argued Jellal. "Besides," he added. "Karma's a bitch."

"Lucy H., two!" the hostess called out. As the couple left the bar area, they exchanged smiles laced with a contrast of nerves and confidence.

But really, what did they have to lose?

* * *

><p><strong>And there we go!<strong>

**The first half of the chapter was practically filler, so congrats on putting up with it. The second half was mostly to set the stage for the rest of the dinner. Props to all who made the connection between the hostess and Jellal, but I'm hoping to clear that up with the next chapter.**

**So that's about it for today. Until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt, and I hope everyone had a great Halloween.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome to Chapter Five of Lucky Star, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Well, unless you're not American in which case... you're a COMMUNIST!**

**No, it just means happy Thursday. Seriously, though, I release chapters with my American audience in mind. I'm not discriminating or anything, it's just easier for me.**

**Anyway, things get rolling in this chapter, so let's just get right to it!**

**I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters. I do, however, own my OC, Ruby.**

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><p>The couple was seated in a secluded corner of the restaurant. To the unassuming customer, it was just another table, but Jellal had a pretty good idea as to why he and Lucy were seated here of all places, considering the fact that there were quite a few open tables in the middle of the dining floor. Whatever, he decided. He would just grin and bear it until he could find an opportunity to report it to someone who could carry on the message.<p>

They took their seats, and the hostess introduced herself. "Good evening to both of you. My name is Ruby, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I start you two off with a drink?"

"Well, I suppose a nice Merlot would be good to start off," said Jellal. "And you, Lucy?"

Lucy was about to order the same as Jellal, but years of her father's parties and what not had trained her to recognize facial cues. A quick glance at Ruby's face told her everything she needed to know about. "I'll just start with seltzer water," she said. Hearing this, Ruby wrinkled her nose, but left to fetch the drinks.

In an attempt to ignore Ruby's... attitude... Jellal decided to strike up a conversation. "So, how long have you been part of Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"Since last summer, actually," Lucy replied. "I arrived in Hargeon and was wandering around for a while when I bumped into... Natsu and Happy. We had a bite to eat, and later, Natsu saved me from a dark mage, and the rest is history."

"Sounds like he's very special to you," said Jellal.

"He is," replied Lucy brightly. "He was my first real friend, and thanks to him, I have more friends now than I ever did growing up. In fact, I even thought I... loved him.

"But then the... Tower... happened, and not long after that, Nirvana, and in the aftermath... I saw him and Erza... kissing. The first thing I did when I got home... I laid on my bed and cried.

"And in those tears, I realized that it was kind of a blessing in disguise for me to not have admitted my feelings. I mean, like I said, Natsu was my first friend, and he... actually Erza and Gray, too... are my best friends. I quickly figured out that, if something happened, and we couldn't be together, I didn't know how I'd survive losing that."

At that moment, Ruby came back with the drinks. She placed Lucy's in front of her first, and handed Jellal's to him... a little _too_ quickly. The result was a large, red stain on his jacket.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" said Ruby in a tone that sounded innocent, though Jellal knew better. However, he brushed it off by saying, "Oh well, I'm sure it'll come out."

"I'm sure it will," said Ruby. "So are you ready to order?"

"I'll just get whatever Jellal's getting," said Lucy. "I'm not picky."

"I guess it's down to me, then," chuckled Jellal. "I'll have the swordfish and spaghetti with citrus pesto."

"Excellent choice, sir," said Ruby. "I'll have everything ready for you in a jiffy." She left to relay the order to the chef.

"Jiffy?" repeated Lucy incredulously. "Who says 'jiffy' anymore?'

"Apparently, Ruby does," replied Jellal.

The unlikely couple passed the time talking about their lives, sharing stories about Erza and their other guildmates, and even the kinds of magic they used. Through this, Lucy realized that she and Jellal were compatible in the same way Juvia considered herself compatible with Gray. Gray used ice, which was simply frozen water, and while Jellal controlled heavenly bodies, she commanded Celestial Spirits. They were, in the most literal sense, a match made in heaven.

But did that necessarily mean they were compatible in terms of pursuing a relationship? That was still up for debate, despite what she had told herself before the night started. In fact, the more Jellal talked, the more Lucy listened. He was surprisingly witty for a guy with amnesia, and she imagined this to be why Jellal, as Siegrain, had been on the "Mage You'd Like to Have As Your Boyfriend" list.

Of course, Loke was there, too, so she assumed it was a subjective list.

Over at the bar, Loke was sharing drinks with a brunette woman, when suddenly, he sneezed. _"Ah, my Princess is thinking about me,"_ he thought with a grin. Suddenly, the woman splashed her drink on him and left.

Apparently, he'd said that out loud.

Back with Lucy and Jellal, Ruby had come back with their meals. Or at least one of them. She placed the plate in front of Lucy and left without a word.

"Wait!" Lucy called after her. "You forgot his order!" No reply. "Hello? Miss?"

"I think she's ignoring you, Lucy," said Jellal.

"God, it's like she's going out of her way to piss us off!" said Lucy indignantly. She stood up. "I'm going to find a manager!"

"Lucy, just calm down!" said Jellal.

"No, I will not calm down! I want to punch that bitch in the face!" seethed Lucy. "How dare she ruin our evening like that!"

"Lucy!" shouted Jellal. That got the Celestial mage's attention.

"If we react negatively to Ruby's mistreatment, we're only giving her what she wants," explained the ex-Wizard Saint calmly. "It's like a game of chess: who cracks first? Who lets their guard down, allowing the other to move in for checkmate? Trust me, if we overreact, she'll make up some excuse as to why she did the things she did, and we'll look like the bad guy. Not that I'm not used to it." He gave a dry laugh at his own joke.

"For now, let's just eat. We'll talk to the manager on the way out, just when she thinks she's won. We'll blindside her and leave her with nowhere to run. Okay?"

As much as Lucy hated to admit it, What Jellal was saying made sense. "Okay," said Lucy. She pushed the plate to the middle of the table and said, "Let's eat."

"Let's," agreed Jellal.

Fortunately, the food looked normal enough. It was a plate of spaghetti with chunks of grilled swordfish mixed in, covered with a creamy pesto sauce.

The couple dined, with nothing more that needed saying for the moment. Eventually, Lucy took some spaghetti to her fork, unaware that Jellal was doing the same. Neither noticed they had picked up the same noodle.

Both parties slurped the noodle, their faces inching ever closer. Only when their noses were centimeters apart did Lucy notice anything wrong and spit the noodle out.

"The biggest damn cliche in the book," said the Celestial mage.

"Only we could be so lucky," said Jellal. With that, they went back to eating, neither daring to speak for the rest of the meal.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, really awkward place to stop, huh? Well, it seemed all right a couple days ago when I wrote this. I'm hoping to upload the next chapter later today, at say, two, three-ish? Depends on whether we get company at that time.<strong>

**And like I said, that spaghetti thing is THE biggest damn cliche in the book. Now that I think about it, that does seem to break the fourth wall. But remember, Lucy is a writer.**

**Anyway, I think that's enough for now. So until later today, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.**


	6. Chapter 6

**And so, Part Two of my Thanksgiving Day update, in which we finish the dinner! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. I only own my OCs Ruby, Mr. Salt, and by extension, Hydra the Water Serpent.**

* * *

><p>Before long, Ruby came back to check on the couple. "How is everything so far?" she asked, the biggest fake smile she could muster plastered to her face.<p>

"Just great, Ruby! Just great!" replied Lucy with an equally fake smile. _"Even though you only gave us one order."_

"I'm really sorry about only giving you one plate of food," said Ruby. "You see, the chef somehow drenched one of the plates in pesto sauce, and rather than cook a new order, we figured you might want to share it. And to make up for it, I'll get you some complimentary coffee and dessert."

"Well, that'd be lovely, Ruby," said Lucy. "But I still don't get why you didn't explain that to us instead of..." she looked up to see Ruby had already gone. "Ignoring us..." she finsihed bitterly. "She was probably too busy coming up with that excuse..."

"She's making her final moves," said Jellal. "Let's not lose our cool now." In an attempt to distract Lucy, he asked, "So what's this play that we're seeing?"

"It's a surprise," said Lucy with a mischievous glint in her eye. "But I will say it's something Erza likes, and I bet you're going to like it just as much."

"Oh? Now I'm intrigued," said Jellal.

"You should be," replied Lucy.

"Have I heard of it?" asked Jellal.

"Well, with your memory loss and your imprisonment, probably not," said Lucy.

"Hey, I remember most of my magic just fine, don't I?" Lucy didn't have a reply to that.

Jellal gave a slight laugh. "Well, most of those spells are basically muscle memory. For example, even if Natsu had total amnesia like me, he would still be able to eat fire."

"I gave up trying to understand Dragon Slayers a long time ago," laughed Lucy. Jellal laughed with her as Ruby came back with two slices of chocolate frosted cake and two cups of coffee.

She put the tray carrying everything on a nearby table and handed a cup and a slice to Lucy, who thanked her curtly, but politely, and mentally noting it sounded just like her father's thank yous. Ruby then made to give Jellal his dessert, but faked a sneeze and dropped the cake _and_ the coffee on his lap. Jellal yelled in pain from the hot beverage spilling on him and shouted "THAT'S IT!", causing Ruby to flinch.

"Ruby," said Jellal. "There's no point in beating around the bush anymore! I know who you are, I know who your grandfather is, and I know you've been giving me and my date intentionally poor service just so you could exact revenge on me for costing your grandfather his job!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" said Ruby defensively. Jellal ignored her and continued.

"Yes, I realize that I was the catalyst for the Magic Council's disbandment, but what you obviously don't understand is that your grandfather, and every other Councilman that had resigned, did so of their own free will! Look at Councilman Og! He was on the same Council as myself, and he stayed on into the new one! In other words, I didn't cost you OR your grandfather a goddamn thing!

"And another thing! I am by NO means expecting forgiveness for the evil I've done! Yet here I am, walking among you, just trying to move on from that and redeem myself!"

"There is NO redemption for scum like YOU!" screamed Ruby, showing rage for the first time that night. "Wind Make: Cutter!" She held out her hands, and a spinning blade of green wind energy came shooting out from her palm and straight for Jellal's throat.

Jellal was taken off guard, but managed to counter it with a wind spell of his own, dispelling the wind blade and knocking Ruby backwards a few feet.

"I am not a man in the business of making promises," said Jellal dangerously. "But this I can promise you: if Guran Doma thought I was a threat to the safety of the people, I would still be rotting in a prison cell, or for that matter, dead."

"You lie!" said Ruby hysterically. "You attacked me just now! That only proves how dangerous you are!"

"As I recall, you attacked me first. I was simply defending myself," said Jellal coldly.

"No one cares what you think, you bastard!" screamed Ruby. "It'll be my word against yours! No one trusts you! No one will EVER trust you!"

"Trust is irrelevant," boomed a deep voice. "Because the proof is in the pudding!"

Ruby looked behind her, and a look of horror graced her face. "Mr. Salt!" she exclaimed. "I-I was just-"

"Attacking a patron of my restaurant?" Mr. Salt demanded in a furious tone. Mr. Salt was a well-built man, almost intimidating despite being in his early sixties. He wore his gray hair with dignity and had a fierce, yet neatly trimmed beard. His black suit and bow tie were other signs that he took great pride in his appearance.

"No!" exclaimed Ruby, panic seeping into the ruby red eyes she was named for. "He attacked me first!"

"Baulderdash!" exclaimed Mr. Salt. "I saw your little altercation with my own two eyes! Clara informed me you had kept a guest with a reservation waiting, and judging from this young man's appearance, you've deliberately mistreated him and his lady throughout their whole meal! And why is there only one plate for two people?"

"But... but Mr. Salt! Don't you know who that is?"

"A paying customer," said Mr. Salt. "No matter who walks through the Portside's doors, be it the florist, the pastor, or the Devil himself, that is how we treat them. In my thirty years of restauranting, I have never seen such a shameful display from one of my employees.

"You're fired."

At those two words, Ruby sent out two more Cutters, one at Jellal, and one more at Mr. Salt. However, do to their lack of focus, they missed entirely. Calmly, Mr. Salt pulled out a silver key. In a flash of light, a blue serpentine creature with clawed hands and legs, as well as two heads appeared. Lucy instantly recognized this as Hydra the Water Serpent.

"Hydra," Mr. Salt commanded, pointing to Ruby. "Take her out of my restaurant! Posthaste!"

"Yes, Mr. Salt," the right head said respectfully.

"Come on, you!" barked the left head gruffly. The Celestial Spirit grabbed Ruby by the hair, easily lifting her.

"This isn't over, Jellal Fernandes!" Ruby screamed as she struggled to escape Hydra's grasp. "I WILL make you pay! In the name of my grandfather, YOU! WILL! PAAAAAAAAAAY!" Hydra tossed her out screaming.

"Will that be all for tonight, Mr. Salt?" asked Hydra's right head.

"I'll call if I need you," the restaurant owner replied.

"Gotcha," said the left head as Hydra disappeared. Mr. Salt turned his attention towards Jellal and Lucy.

"I'm terribly sorry for the disturbance," he said with a polite bow. "I shall cover the bill for this evening."

"You don't really have to do that, sir," said Lucy humbly.

"I must and I will!" insisted Mr. Salt. "You were disrepected, mistreated, even attacked by one of my employees! It would be a disgrace to my restaurant if I didn't make things right in this manner!"

"In that case, thank you, sir," said Jellal.

"You must think nothing of it, lad!" said Mr. Salt. "By the way, I noticed the young lady's mark. Mages of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes, sir," said Lucy.

"Then in return for your meal, I ask that you give Makarov my warmest regards!" said Mr. Salt with a smile. As he walked away, Lucy and Jellal became very aware of the stares they were receiving.

"We should go," said Lucy.

"Good plan," replied Jellal.

As Lucy and Jellal made the short walk to the theater, the two contemplated their botched dinner.

"You know something?" said Jellal. "I think I'm actually enjoying this date so far."

"Despite the fact that a psychotic waitress tried to kill us?" said Lucy.

"It kept things interesting, that's for sure," said Jellal with a smile. His tone turned serious for a moment. "We're just lucky the owner intervened when he did. I'm still on probation, so if things had gotten ugly, they would get real ugly."

Lucy frowned, remembering Ruby's twisted logic. "Jellal, listen to me," she said firmly, grasping his chin and staring into his eyes. "You've done nothing wrong since your release."

Jellal gave a sad sigh. "I know," he replied. "But that still doesn't erase my past transgressions..."

"Jellal!" exclaimed Lucy. "What have you done for me lately? You've joined a guild! You're working to help people! You're moving on with your life, Jellal! Don't let some nutjob waitress tell you otherwise!"

Jellal let Lucy's words sink in. It was true, since joining Fairy Tail, his life was starting to look up. Yet, he still felt tethered to his dark past for some reason. But tonight, he hadn't felt that way when he was talking with Lucy. She was bright, she had a great sense of humor, and her soul was altogether beautiful. For her, he would work to break the chains that haunted him so.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "I suppose you're right." Lucy smiled, but didn't say anything. She had seen there was good in Jellal during the Nirvana mission. They all saw it. The only person who needed to see it was Jellal himself.

As they strolled up to the theater, she made a silent vow that she would make Jellal realize just what he had to offer the world.

And her.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I honestly thought I would get at least one review for the last chapter by now. Either Thanksgiving is really an awkward time for updates, or I was just stroking my own ego! XD<strong>

**Just saying, we haven't seen the last of Ruby. Mr. Salt, maybe, but definitely not Ruby. Also, I guess I can mention, now that we've seen her magic, that Ruby is named for the Rave Master character who uses wind. I originally had some other name in mind, but I figured it would only be appropriate to use a Rave Master name, given that Hiro Mashima worked on both. Either way, she is quite possibly the closest thing to a villain I've created. Wait, there's Dion Mencierte from ABCs. Oh well, at least Ruby's my most psychotic OC.**

**Oh, and one more thing. If you review this chapter, could you review the last one too? I've said this before, but it really motivates me as an author to know what someone thinks of my work. Thank you!**

**And that's it for Thanksgiving of 2011! Until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt! Also, congratulate me, for I tried eggplant for the first time today.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, people! Ni****ghtlingbolt here! Welcome to Chapter Seven of Lucky Star!**

**So yeah, the date officially ends in this chapter. I can't say I planned it this way, but I honestly had no idea how to extend the play! I mean, my first instinct was to stick Natsu and Erza there on a date and let it write itself, but that just felt totally forced. So, you get this! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

><p>The Magnolia Music Theater was not by any means large. Being in the town where the famous Fairy Tail Guild was based, it wasn't the main attraction. Still, it had a decent enough cast of performers, young and old, which made it a highlight of anyone who might be visiting Magnolia.<p>

The theater wasn't that fancy, which made Jellal a little uncomfortable. The most dressed up he saw the men was a nice shirt, a pair of khakis, and a jacket of some sort. This was basically what Jellal himself was wearing, but nothing anyone else wore... matched.

"Lucy, I feel totally overdressed," he muttered to his date.

"I know," moaned Lucy. "But this is really the first time I've gotten to come here! It's not that expensive, but I live on a budget, and my team always destroys something on jobs, which comes out of the reward, meaning no money to spend on theater! And that's not even counting supplies for my writing!"

"All right, Lucy, just breathe," said Jellal, putting a hand on the Celestial mage's shoulder. She took a deep breath, and within the moment calmed down. "You panic about money a lot, don't you?" he asked with good humor.

"Kind of," Lucy admitted. "I mean, as a member of Fairy Tail's Strongest Team, I often go on high-profile missions, and the S-Class ones pay especially well... but as I said, Natsu, Gray, and Erza – sometimes all at the same time – cause massive property damage like, ninety-five percent of the time, so-"

"92.1 percent of the time, Princess," said a female voice from behind Lucy, causing her to scream.

"Jesus, Virgo! Don't sneak up on me like that!" yelled Lucy.

"I am sorry, Princess. Will I be punished?" Virgo asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

"No, of course not," sighed Lucy. "What is it you wanted?"

"I brought new clothes for Master Jellal," said Virgo, holding up a black suit with gold pinstripes. "I will not have my owner's lover walking around in filth."

Lucy's jaw dropped at Virgo's procalmation. "Lover!" she exclaimed, at a near-total loss for words. Oddly enough, her companions both ignored her melodrama, Jellal opting instead to smile at Virgo's kindness.

"Thank you, Virgo," said the ex-Wizard Saint, taking the clothes with a smile.

"It's truly nothing, Master Jellal," replied Virgo. "I know you'll find what you're looking for in my Princess." With that, she disappeared back into the Celestial Spirit World, leaving Jellal to ponder her words.

What _was_ Jellal looking for? Was he just looking to escape the loneliness that Erza unwittingly forced upon him? It was too soon for him to think so. Was he looking for someone to talk to? Possibly. After all, it was kind of awkward to think of him spilling his guts to Erza, the woman he antagonized for so long. It was a miracle Natsu didn't pick fights with him as it was, and Doranbolt reported to the Magic Council, so those two were out.

Jellal shook his head, realizing he was overthinking the whole thing, and concluded that Virgo just wanted him and Lucy to end up together. He went to the men's room to change, deciding to leave everything at that.

* * *

><p>Two and a half hours later, Jellal and Lucy were walking out of the theater, Jellal fully intending to drop Lucy off at her apartment before heading home to rest for tomorrow's mission.<p>

"So did you like the show?" asked Lucy.

Jellal thought for a moment. "It was good," he admitted. "Funny in some places, but it knew when to be serious. Mostly, I liked it for its message."

"Message? What message?" asked Lucy. "Classic revenge story, what's to get about it?"

Jellal chuckled. "Lucy, you're the writer in this relationship. Don't tell me you don't get what 'The Lion King' is all about!" he said.

"It's true that, superficially, the story is about revenge. However, to truly appreciate the story, we need to look at how Simba grew up after Mufasa's death," said Jellal. "He was all alone in the world until Timon and Pumba found him. They accepted him, and became a sort of family as he grew up. But as he got older, he wondered where he truly belonged in the world. Then, Mufasa appeared to him, urging him to defeat Scar and take his rightful place as king, in the aftermath of which he found his calling. And that's how the audience is expected to sympathize with Simba – we all want to belong somewhere, to know we're wanted... needed, even. To know we're not alone."

Lucy only listened in amazement to Jellal's speech. Clearly, the show had had a sort of impact on him. Though if she was being brutally honest, she suspected that Jellal had found a parallel with the life he was living right now. He had been a slave, but had loyal friends who supported each other. One day, he woke up with no memory of the past eight years to find that he had become a villain, so he resigned himself to the gallows in order to make penance. And now, he was being given a second chance at life, and he was determined not to waste it.

"You're not alone, Jellal," she said resolutely. "Not as long as you're a part of Fairy Tail." She knew from cherished experience the truth in those words.

"Thank you, Lucy," said Jellal. He could have said more, but it just didn't feel right.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence.

* * *

><p>"I had a great time tonight," said Lucy sincerely, her apartment door the only thing standing between her and her home.<p>

"I did too, Lucy," said Jellal. "You know, aside from the crazy waitress."

"You don't think she'll try anything else, do you?" asked Lucy with a hint of worry.

Jellal shook his head. "Day to day, my magical power is defaulted to that of an average mage in a high-ranking guild. Not enough to be considered a threat, but enough that I won't be totally defenseless if I'm away from my jailer," he explained. "If I were at full power, blocking Ruby's Cutter would've been like swatting a fly to me. The effort I had to make in my current state tells me that she's a powerful mage. Capable, too. Still, if I explain to Doranbolt – I'm sorry, would calling him Mest be easier on you?"

"Both work for me," said Lucy.

"Right," said Jellal. "If I explain to him what's going on, I suppose I could convince him to allot me the minimum powers of an S-Class mage." His face turned serious. "But now that she's seen you with me, you're just as much a target as I am, so... just be careful, okay?"

"Okay," replied Lucy. She knew the kind of stigma associating herself with Jellal would bring, and this was part of it. Honestly, she felt people looked down on her more as a mage of Fairy Tail than as Jellal Fernandes's lover.

Wait, lover? Lucy inwardly cursed Virgo for putting the thought into her head.

Jellal smiled. He didn't know for sure if Ruby would target Lucy, but her reassuring voice, so full of confidence, illuminating her strong will, put his mind at ease. He took her right hand in his own and planted a soft kiss on her guild mark.

This caused Lucy to blush a little. Yes, a kiss on the hand was the gentlemanly thing to do, but if she allowed Jellal that much freedom, it would only be a matter of time before things got awkward between them.

So why wasn't she fighting it? And more importantly, what was there to fight?

She said a hasty goodnight to Jellal and let herself in. Only problem was, the door was already open. Now, Natsu usually snuck in through the window, so this was quite queer. She turned on the light, and sighed as she was greeted by a scarlet-haired young woman.

Just her luck.

* * *

><p><strong>And here we go!<strong>

**I don't know what led me to The Lion King for the play they saw, but when I thought about it, I realized, "Hey, this could actually work!" Now, personally, I like The Lion King. Second movie I ever saw (first being Aladdin), so there's... a lot of nostalgia there, and I hope I managed to breath a sort of new life into it for you guys.**

**Next chapter wraps up this part of the story, and then I won't be updating this until I've typed out all of the next (and hopefully final) arc of this story. The thing about this story, though, is that it's not timeskip compliant, meaning everything beyond Tenrou Island would have to be all original. I mean, I'm doing well here, or at least I like to think so, but wide-open sandbox settings like this aren't really my forte, and if anyone remembers Champion (my old journey fic under Pokemon), I really kind of struggle making an entire world of original characters. Oh well, this is just a stepping stone, as should all of an author's work be.**

**But enough about that, I'm determined to get this published before I leave in the next ten minutes, so peace and love from Nightlingbolt! Bye! **


	8. Casting Call!

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here, putting out an open call for EVIL original characters! That's right, I have decided that I want villains for my story!**

**But it occurs to me that I can't put out this casting call without spoiling the last chapter of Lucky Star, and I'm not really willing to write the last scene of Chapter Nine until I get some characters, so I guess the best thing to do is be blunt about it. Ruby comes back with some cronies (your OCs) and kidnaps Lucy to give Jellal a reason to confront her. There, Snape killed Dumbledore, now it's old news.**

**So anyway, submit your OCs using this form here. A reminder, though, that your characters will be bad guys, so you should present them accordingly.**

**Name:**

**Age: (should be 18-22)**

**Description:**

**Personality:**

**Magic:**

**Spells: (not necessarily a ton, just enough to give me an idea of how his or her magic works)**

**Other Notes:**

**-No Dragon Slayers, real or artificial**

**-If your character uses Celestial Spirits, stay away from Libra and Pisces, as I'm certain Mashima has plans for them, and I'd rather not have your character made obsolete once they're revealed in canon.**

**-No Wizard Saints. That's just way too much. Not that I couldn't bullshit a way for them to lose, just that it seems overly excessive for a character that will only ever appear in fanfiction.**

**-Be creative with your characters, from their appearances to their magic. Don't just throw something together in two minutes, take the time to think about how they act and how they fight. Though if you can come up with a fire, ice, or lightning user, that'd be great, and if I get all three, so much the better! Of course, I'm not outright expecting it, I'm just saying it'd be nice to have the classic Fire-Ice-Lightning trio.**

**-If I don't use your character, fret not. He or she will be kept on file for future use, and you will be credited should that character appear.**

**-Finally, do your best, even if it's nowhere near good enough. That's anyone can and should ever ask of you.**

**I look forward to your responses. Until then, peace and love from Nightlingbolt!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Bet you all forgot this existed, huh? Well, this is the new chapter of Lucky Star!**

**I've had this sitting in my Documents for a while now (since December, actually), and I got the V chapter of ABCs finished up as well, which I spoiled as Valentine. Or would it be Valentine's? I dunno. So now I actually have time to work on this story! Actually, there's not much work to be done, really. I just need to remember what I had in mind for the final scene of Chapter Nine, which I was hesitant to write because I didn't have other villains working with Ruby, hence the OC submission from before (which, if I'm perfectly honest with you all, was a bust. Again, not that they were bad, they just didn't have any sort of unique magic that they used. It also didn't help that I encouraged ice powers). After that, this story is going on indefinite hiatus, just because I don't want to make up the rest of these chapters as I go along like I've been doing with... actually most of my chaptered stories. I suppose that's why Champion never got off the ground (for those of you who remember, and if you don't, Conversion).**

**But for now, enjoy the goodness that is Lucky Star, Chapter 8, with the wish that Lucy and Jellal interact more in the actual manga.**

**I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

><p>"Erza, what are you doing here?" asked Lucy cautiously. The Celestial mage was oddly confident for being confronted by the Titania herself. She steeled herself, taking comfort in the fact that she had done nothing to upset her.<p>

"I do recall saying I would expect details, Lucy," said Erza curtly.

Lucy sighed. Erza had said something along those lines. "Look, can we do this tomorrow? It's been a long night," she said, the tone of her voice suggesting she was tired.

"Nonsense!" said Erza cheerfully. "Why should we wait until morning when the memory is still fresh in your mind?"

Lucy wanted to argue that she doubted she would forget the last twenty-four hours, but she caught Erza's gaze, her cheerful expression belying her power, and sighed, realizing she wouldn't be able to argue with her. "There's really not that much to tell, actually," she said.

"Then tell me everything," said Erza genially as she Requipped into her sword pajamas. This only caused Lucy to stare.

"Um... Erza...? You weren't... planning to stay over, were you?" asked Lucy nervously.

"Well, it's too late to go back to Fairy Hills," said Erza. "The streets are no place for a young woman at this time of night."

"Okay, first of all, you're the goddamn Titania. Any guy who'd try anything with you has a death wish," said Lucy. "Second of all, it's only ten o'clock."

"But that's when all the unsavory types come out!" whined Erza.

"Not so bold without your 'Honey Dragon,' huh?" snickered Lucy to herself.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" said Erza, voice slightly raised.

"Mi casa es su casa!" said Lucy quickly.

"Bien!" beamed Erza. "Now then, where did you go?"

"Just that seafood restaurant I always wanted to try but could never afford," said Lucy. "No thanks to you, Gray and Natsu," she added darkly.

Erza ignored that last statement. "The Portside?" she said. A smirk settled on her features. "Rather fancy for an outing between friends, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to make a good impression!" said Lucy with a blush.

"As a friend? Or as a woman?" asked Erza.

"I..." Lucy tried to say something, but her words died under Erza's scrutinizing gaze. "I don't know anymore..." she grumbled.

"Well, you'd better figure it out," said Erza in a warning tone. "I warned you about leading Jellal on."

Lucy gulped. Shit, she hadn't explained to Jellal that she just wanted to be friends!

"_Maybe because you don't?"_ a snide voice remarked in her head. Lucy just ignored it, but it still kept nagging at her.

"But let's move on, shall we?" said Erza brightly. "Surely the night didn't end with dinner? You were gone too long for that."

"No," said Lucy. "We went to see a show."

"Ah, said Erza. "Another pastime you've been meaning to indulge in."

Lucy stiffened. She didn't recall mentioning that to anyone. Unless... "How did you know I wanted to do that?" she asked.

"Didn't you write that in your diary?" asked Erza.

"YOU READ MY DIARY!" shrieked Lucy.

"And so did Natsu, Gray, and Happy," said Erza matter-of-factly.

"WHY!" yelled Lucy.

"Lucy, calm yourself. People are trying to sleep," said Erza sternly. "So what did you see?"

Lucy growled, picked up a random book, and flung it at the wall, not caring about the small dent it left. It was clear she wasn't going to get any answers from Erza regarding the whole diary situation, so she decided to just answer the question. "The Lion King," she ground out.

Erza gasped. "You saw The Lion King without me?" she asked incredulously. "You know I love The Lion King! If I had known you were seeing that, Natsu and I would have joined you!"

"Erza, that would defeat the whole purpose of tonight!" groaned Lucy. No wonder she matched with Natsu perfectly. They both had the subtleness of a brick wall.

"You're right, of course," said Erza. "Tonight was about letting Jellal know he had a friend. Natsu and I would have just made things... awkward." The scarlet mage sighed.

"Sounds like some part of you still has feelings for him," said Lucy gently.

Erza hesitated. "That... was a long time ago," she whispered meekly. "He was a different person back then. Bright, with a passion for life... even when all he ever knew was Hell, he believed that somewhere, beyond the tower, Heaven was waiting for us all. But now look at him. His bright eyes have gone dull with the guilt of past misdeeds, none of which were ever his fault, and he's given up all hope of finding Heaven."

Lucy smiled sadly as Erza finished talking. "I know the feeling," she said. "I've felt it ever since my mother died. She was my only living link to the world outside my gilded cage. Without her, I'd given up all hope, resigned to be married off, all for the sake of my father's business.

"But then, somehow, some way, I found the strength within me to say no. No, I don't want to be a trophy wife for some slimeball! No, I don't want to have everything I could ever want if I can't be free to use it how I want! I want to be somebody! I want to do something, love someone, and be loved in return before I die! So I ran away in search of Fairy Tail and... never looked back.

"And even when Phantom Lord attacked and the truth about my past came out, you, Natsu, and everyone stood by me and called me your own. And when I saw you and Jellal in the restaurant that night, I made it my personal mission to make Jellal feel like he was one of us – a mage of Fairy Tail – the same way you all made me feel like one of you."

Erza was amazed. Not just at the conviction in Lucy's words, but the emotion they conveyed. She realized that Jellal and the Celestial mage weren't that different after all. In fact, when she thought about it, Lucy and Jellal were stars in the night sky without a constellation to bind them together. But Lucy found one – Fairy Tail – and she was reaching out to Jellal to be part of it.

"Lucy," said Erza gravely. "I'm depending on you. Help Jellal realize that life is worth living again. If you can do that... you've earned him."

Not realizing that Erza was implying a romantic attraction between her and Jellal, she only responded with, "I will."

"You have my trust," said Erza. "Now then, we need to get to bed." She stretched her arms upwards to emphasize her point.

"Wait... what do you mean 'we?'" asked Lucy. Aren't you sleeping on the couch?"

"Don't be silly, Lucy," said Erza. "Your bed can easily support two people."

Lucy groaned, suddenly regretting not getting a twin-size.

* * *

><p>Jellal opened the door of the modest apartment he shared with Doranbolt. Tonight had given him plenty to think about.<p>

"Hey, there's my favorite con!" his jailer greeted warmly.

"Doranbolt," said Jellal sharply.

"Ex-con," amended Doranbolt. "Sorry."

"It wasn't funny the first time, why would it be funny now?" asked an annoyed Jellal.

Doranbolt frowned. He thought he was somewhat funny. "Date go south, Jellal?" he asked.

"No," said Jellal. "It went-"

"Those aren't the clothes you were wearing when you left," observed Doranbolt. He smirked. "Did something happen?"

"Our waitress spilled just about everything she could spill on me, so Lucy's Virgo gave me clothes from the Celestial Spirit world," said Jellal. "That's it", he added, catching on to what Doranbolt meant.

"Fine," said the Council mage. "So, what do you think of Lucy?"

"Lucy?" repeated Jellal. "She's a nice girl. She's smart, she's quick, and she seems comfortable in her own skin. Although, when I say smart, I mean book smart. She does show hints of naivety, but I would imagine that's a result of her upbringing."

"Her upbrining?" repeated Doranbolt. But then it clicked. "Oh, that's right. She was once the Heartfilia heiress, wasn't she?"

"Her family lost its fortune, and she's severed ties with her father anyway, so don't think of trying for any 'favors!'" said Jellal sharply.

Doranbolt recoiled. Jellal was defending her. This was good. Lucy was inspiring some element of drive in him. Perhaps he could use that to motivate Jellal into regaining his memories.

"All right, I'm sorry!" said Doranbolt hastily, holding his hands up in surrender. "Being around Lucy... how did it make you feel?"

Jellal sighed. "It felt good, actually," he said. "She didn't treat me like a criminal, but she didn't treat me with the kid gloves the guild treated me with, either – though to their credit, I understand their wanting to be cautious.

"But with Lucy, I actually felt like I... belonged somewhere, like I could be someone. I barely made mention of my past, and when I did, she managed to remind me that it didn't define me, and make me feel the sensastion of being my own person. Doranbolt... I think-" Jellal cut himself off just then.

"What?" said Doranbolt, eagerly anticipating what Jellal was about to confess.

Jellal hesitated, then answered, "Never mind." He stole a glance at the clock. "It's late, and we need to be up early."

"Not a good match," said Doranbolt with a chuckle. "G'night." He got up and went to his room to prepare for bed, leaving Jellal alone in their living room.

"I think I found my lucky star," whispered Jellal.

* * *

><p><strong>DAMN, it feels good to have this up at last! My big problem is that I usually upload chapters as soon as I'm done with them, so don't be surprised if you see V go up sometime this week.<strong>

**I remember being somewhat proud of this one. I think I hit upon the perfect mix of humor and emotion, but that's ultimately for you, the reviewer, to decide.**

**So now that V's finished, I can actually work on projects I've been wanting to for some time now. These include a Young Justice story featuring Red Arrow and Cheshire, an attempt at Juvia and Totomaru, and a NatsuErzaJellal triangle centering around them making Let's Plays, something which I enjoy very much. Geez, that's a lot to put on my plate, including this, but I do plan on working out a system for this.**

**But that's all for another day. And so, until Valentine's Day, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.**


	10. Final Chapter

**Hello, people. Nightlingbolt here! Hope you all enjoyed the final chapter of ABCs! And as promised, I'm finally going to finish Lucky Star!**

**I'm reluctant to call this a failure, because not counting that A/N for the casting call, I had... 72 minus 16... 56 reviews in seven chapters, which is eight reviews per chapter. ABCs has 103 for 26 chapters currently, making Lucky Star more popular than ABCs. To me, that spells a disturbing double-standard in which the average Fairy Tail fan will ship Lucy with anyone, but will only ship Natsu with Lucy. Of course, I'm just making a generalization, but even so...**

**You know what, this isn't a failure at all. I just kept my focus on ABCs and ended up starting Scenes, so Lucky Star just suffered for it in the end. Still, I'm glad to be able to put this story to rest. And now... the not-so-epic conclusion.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

><p>Lucy woke up the next morning to find that Erza had gone. She also noticed that breathing was coming easier to her now than when she slept, most likely due to the absence of the Titania's bone-crushing embrace.<p>

It was funny when Lucy thought about it. Erza held Natsu soft as a feather when they slept together, but with anyone else, she held on for dear life at the risk of the other person's dear life. She never thought Erza could be so... clingy.

But if Lucy understood what Jellal had told her last night, he had all but abandoned Erza when "Zeref's ghost" possessed him, causing her to have abandonment issues throughout her life. Considering this, Erza was lucky to have Natsu as a lover. He wouldn't leave unless you asked him to stay, and even if you did, he wouldn't be gone very long. That's just the kind of person he was.

Often, Lucy would wonder why she couldn't have someone like that. As mentioned, Natsu fit that description perfectly, but with her, he was more of the annoying best friend who has zero respect for her personal space.

But Jellal... Oh God, Jellal.

What had she said to Erza last night regarding the ex-Wizard Saint? Some bravado about making him feel like "one of us?" Still, the more she thought about it, the less far-fetched it seemed to be. She truly did want to be the guiding light, the white rabbit, for a new member, to be the one that made them feel truly welcome. She just didn't think it would happen so soon.

But it was happening. She had taken it upon herself to lend Jellal a guiding hand, and now he was counting on her not to betray him, the way he had betrayed everyone he ever loved, so many years ago. And damn it, she wouldn't let him down.

Her stomach growled. Lucy laughed out loud. She couldn't help anyone on an empty stomach, after all. She walked into the bathroom with the intent of showering, then heading to the guild for breakfast. Who knows? Maybe she would get to see Jellal before he left on that job of his.

* * *

><p>The thought caused an involuntary blush.<p>

As it turned out, Lucy and Jellal's date was the hot topic among the guild, much to the Celestial mage's annoyance. She could've sworn she told Mira and Levy to keep it a secret.

She spied Mira chatting with Juvia, Gajeel, and Pantherlily, no doubt about her and the ex-Wizard Saint. "Hey, Mira, what's the big idea?" she asked the barmaid in an annoyed tone. "I thought we were keeping this whole Jellal thing on the down-low!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," said Mirajane apologeticly. "But in my defense, your exact words were 'Don't tell Erza about this.' But when Erza came in this morning, we got to talking, and the subject of Jellal came up. She said he would be okay thanks to you, so I assumed she knew about the two of you, and... and..." The barmaid started to sniffle, which caused Lucy to panic.

"Ah! No, Mira, don't cry!" said Lucy hurriedly. "I'm not all that shy about it! I just didn't want to upset Erza, that's all!"

"Che, because we all know how that goes down," said Gajeel to Lily.

"It could be worse," said Lily. "She could be Knightwalker."

"The fuck is Knightwalker?" asked Gajeel.

"Erza-san's counterpart from Edolas," said Juvia. "She was a General like Lily used to be." Gajeel still looked confused, causing the black Exceed to sigh.

"She shot me," he said bluntly.

Recognition lit up Gajeel's face. "Oh yeah!" he said loudly. "I promise I'll get revenge for that!"

"Well, once you figure out how to open an Anima, let me know and I'll take vengeance myself," said Lily dryly.

Meanwhile, Lucy's words seemed to have calmed Mirajane down, and the barmaid was looking as chipper as ever. The first chance he got, Gajeel ordered a beer, and she went to get some, leaving the group for a moment.

Gajeel pulled Lucy in close so he could whisper something. "You know she can do that on demand, right?" he said conspiratorily.

"Who, Mira?" asked Lucy. "She wouldn't do that."

"She does," insisted Gajeel. "I dunno if Salamander notices it when he's not in between Titania's boobs, but she doesn't give off that same scent that people who are really crying give off."

"Gajeel-kun should be trusted on this, Lucy-san," said Juvia. "When we were in Phantom Lord, Master Jose had him interrogate all the dark mages we captured."

"You guys took prisoners?" said Lucy nervously.

"Phantom Lord was a very unorthodox guild, and Jose was a very unorthodox master. That's part of the reason why he was named a Wizard Saint," said Juvia.

"Speaking of ex-Wizard Saints, did you see Jellal at all before he left?" asked Lucy.

"Jellal-san and Mest-san (because that's how the guild members knew Doranbolt) stopped by just long enough to eat and left for their job almost immediately after," said Juvia. "He did ask Juvia to pass on a message to you, Lucy-san."

"A message? For me?" asked Lucy. "What did he say?"

"'I'll be thinking of you the whole time, looking forward to when you light up my night sky once more,'" quoted Juvia. "Isn't that romantic?"

Lucy blushed furiously. "WAY TOO ROMANTIC!" she exclaimed. Still, part of her felt like a princess when she heard that, and it was starting to piss her off.

"He really said that!" chimed in Mirajane. "I'm a witness!"

"Juvia wished Gray-sama would say such lovely things to her!" swooned Juvia.

"Sounds to me like he loooooves you, Lucy," said Lily.

Gajeel looked at Lily weirdly. "The hell, Lily? You've been hanging around Salamander's cat too much," he said.

"Well, it is amusing to watch him try to woo Carla," said Lily.

"That reminds me!" said Mirajane brightly. "I have a fresh fish for Happy to give to Carla! I should give it to him right now!"

"Juvia wants to watch, too!" said Juvia. "Juvia will forever cheer for Happy-kun and Carla-chan's love!" The two girls went off to get that fish for Happy.

"Christ, these people are nuts," grumbled Gajeel. "Come on, Lily. Let's go grab a job." Lily couldn't think of a good reason not to agree and went with his Dragon Slayer.

* * *

><p>Lucy sighed. Apparently, she and Jellal were out in the open now. As the day went on, various female members of the guild congratulated her on her new boyfriend. Cana told her it was about damn time, Evergreen expressed disdain that a girl like Lucy had scored a man like Jellal, and Bisca actually initiated a conversation with Alzack, inspired by her example.<p>

But as she told Wendy and Levy the details of the night they shared together, she found herself missing Jellal even more than she already had. With each retelling, she had come more and more to grips with the fact that she liked Jellal. She wasn't ready to call it love, but there was no denying what they had was special.

Eventually, however, the wear and tear of the guild got to Lucy, and she was ready to go home, take a bath, and go to bed. She had filled up the tub and was just about to remove her bathrobe when a familiar blue-haired man appeared in front of her.

"Jellal!" she exclaimed. She had not expected her boyfriend – he _was_ her boyfriend, wasn't he? If not, it sounded right – to send out a Thought Projection, especially not in her bathroom!

But wait... wouldn't this mean Jellal had almost seen her naked? Lucy tried to drudge up indignant feelings at that thought, but she found she could not.

"Damn you, Jellal," Lucy growled lightly. "What kind of spell did you put on me?"

Jellal – or rather his Thought Projection – clasped her on the shoulder. "I've been wanting to ask you that very same question," he whispered. "I've been thinking about you all day."

"You too," admitted Lucy.

"Doranbolt and I just arrived in the village an hour ago," said Jellal. "We've gotten the information we need and are ready to start the mission first thing in the morning. Speaking of mornings, I didn't get to see you this morning."

"Oh," said Lucy. "Erza didn't wake me up. We kind of had a girls night."

Jellal gave Lucy a look. "So Erza's okay with this, then? With... us?" he asked.

Lucy shrugged. "Seems that way," she said. "I mean, I'm alive, aren't I?"

Jellal laughed. "I guess that's true," he said. Lucy laughed in return.

"Look, I was gonna take a bath, and I'd like to take it before Natsu barges in and ruins my night."

"I wouldn't worry," said Jellal. "Knowing Natsu, he probably has a replacement knight."

"How do you replace a night?" asked Lucy. Jellal's only reply was a clever smirk, and Lucy frowned in realization.

"Night, knight... damn homophones..." She fixed a glare onto Jellal. "Seriously, disappear. If Erza's gonna be with him, my night is doubly ruined."

"Fine, fine," said Jellal. "Doranbolt only gave me five minutes' worth of magic anyway."

"Wait!" said Lucy. "Can your Thought Projection... feel?"

"Well, considering I masqueraded as a Council Member for about eight years without any suspicion, my projections are as good as a real person's," said Jellal. "Why?"

Lucy's only reply was to grab Jellal's face and meet his lips with hers. They were kind of dry, considering this Jellal was a construct of magic, but that was all the Celestial mage really needed.

"Good luck on your mission tomorrow," said Lucy shyly.

Jellal only smiled and disappeared. With his Lucky Star shining for him, he felt something he hadn't felt for a long time.

He felt invincible.

* * *

><p><strong>As we say in Boston, well, here you go.<strong>

**I do want to reiterate that I would like to publish a sequel to this story one day, because I had ideas for it that I really wanted to use here, but I kept neglecting this story, and now adding more than a final chapter would just make it seem like I'm just forcing out ideas. That's probably one of the reasons why Scenes is going on hiatus. That shit got way out of control. I only had five pairings in mind, then I started writing the Crime Sorciere scene from Meredy's POV, and I got the idea to pair her with Sting, but Sting turned out to be a complete jackass, so I decided I want Rogue, and now I have no idea where to go from there.**

**Oh well, at least with this done, it's one less thing to worry about. So look for the last Scenes chapter before I officially put it on hiatus later today. Until then, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.**


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